Saturday Night
by Sheytune
Summary: Brennan has a date; Booth is watching the game.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I still don't own them.

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When he thinks back, he remembers when Saturday night meant dating, or a night out at a bar with the guys, or even - for a very short but destructive time - a night spent at the casino, waiting for his luck to turn.

These days, it means working a case, or therapy (when Bones claims she's too busy during the week), or hanging out at the diner with Bones - and whatever squints "happen" to drop by. On an increasingly rare occasion, it might mean catching a game live, but, it occurs to him now, it mostly involves Bones.

When did that happen?

He tried calling her at home earlier, but she didn't answer.

He grabs another beer and turns up the game. Maybe if he concentrates on how his team is getting slaughtered, he won't wonder where she is - and especially, who she is with. Has Angela dragged her out to a club, or is she out with some loser again?

Just because he has lost all interest in dating doesn't mean she has.

He knows why he stopped dating. After a while, women who flirt and watch TV and leave work at a normal hour couldn't keep his mind off a woman who works too much and doesn't know what he's talking about unless it involves bones or law enforcement or obscure cultures most people don't know exist.

It kills him to know that the woman he wants would rather date a physicist or an investment banker or a deep-sea welder (of all things) than him. They do come with less baggage - no history of abuse, no past as a sniper, no children, no gambling problem. He wants what is best for her, and he knows he's not it.

The game ends, and he turns off the TV. That's when he hears the knock on his door.

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She has been dating since she was 18. When she was in the system, her biggest goal was to be invisible, but when she aged out and got to university, she was just one of thousands of freshman, none of them sure how they fit in. She found it reassuring.

A month after school started, she started studying with a boy in her calculus class. A few weeks later, they went to a movie - on Tuesday, when they're cheap. Eventually, they were spending every waking hour - and many sleeping hours - together.

Until it ended, and she was left alone again.

There have, of course, been other men since then. She has dressed up, done her hair, carefully applied her make-up. She has felt that rush of anticipation before the first date, and before the first kiss. She has slept with men - on the third date, on the tenth date, sometimes even on the first date.

She has woken in the middle of the night feeling trapped by the man lying beside her. Other times, she has woken and been glad she's not alone.

She lived with Pete. They shared a life, and at one point she even wondered if they would be together forever. (Now, she realizes she was being foolish. Relationships don't last forever.)

She met Sully, and found herself captivated by his zest for new experiences. That relationship ended, of course, when he chased another dream and she couldn't follow.

Still, she _likes _dating. She likes the rush of hormones, of desire. She likes being dragged out of her comfort zone. She likes that it makes her feel almost normal.

So last week, when the hot new guy in her karate class asked her out - dinner and a martial arts film festival at the local theatre - she said yes.

And tonight, she smiled, and flirted, and, deep down inside, wondered why she'd rather be at the diner stealing Booth's fries.

Which is why she's standing at his door at midnight, wearing the dress Angela dragged her out to buy and shoes that pinch her feet, waiting for him to answer the door.

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He is momentarily stunned at the vision that greets him at his door. Her hair is loosely curled, her make-up is perfect, and she's wearing a flowy-yet-clingy dress that makes her look even more gorgeous than usual.

While he gapes at her, she takes the opportunity to push past him. He closes the door, and tries not to stammer too much as he jokes, "You look beautiful, Bones, but you didn't have to dress up for me".

Of course, that backfires, as she sits down on his couch and replies "I didn't, Booth, I had a date".

As he fills with both jealousy (_she's dating again_) and relief (_she's here, not in bed with her date_), he sits down beside her and asks "Didn't it go well?".

As she talks about how wonderful her date was, he drifts off, distracted by the perfume she's wearing. He's pretty sure it's new. He's barged in on plenty of her dates, and he's sure he'd remember it if she had been wearing it before. He's dragged back to the conversation at hand when he hears her say "... and through the entire movie, I was wishing you were there with me."

He's stunned by the revelation, and he must have searched for words a little too long, because she sighs and stands up.

"Look, Booth, it's OK. I know we're just partners, and I'm not your type, but sometimes I ... I just wonder if we could have more. I'm sorry for disturbing you, I'll see you on Monday." With that, she heads to the door.

She has her hand on the handle by the time he catches up with her.

A second later, her back is pressed against the door and he's kissing her as he has wanted to for months - well, years, actually. And it feels like a miracle, but she's kissing him back.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Which is probably good, as I don't usually let them be this happy.

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Of course, kisses can't last forever - _primates need oxygen, Booth _- and he is eventually forced to pull away. They stand there, struggling to breathe, his forehead touching hers, and he realizes - this could change everything. He gasps slightly. As the magnitude of the step they are about to take hits him, he takes a step back.

His heart twists as he sees the rush of insecurity and fear on her face.

He grabs her hands, and starts talking, stumbling in his haste to get the words out, to let her know that he's not rejecting her. "Bones, I …look, I know you think things through really quickly, but I need a few seconds to catch up, OK?"

He grabs her hands in his. As she nods, he leads her over to the couch. He sits beside her, their hands still joined, and twists so that he can look into her eyes.

As he struggles to find the right words, he looks at her and a flood of memories hits him – meals at the diner, more cups of coffee than he can count, Jasper, bickering about everything under the sun, bitter fights, the way the sunlight hit her hair one afternoon on the way into the courthouse, the complete and utter trust he has in her – and he realizes that his life would have a gaping hole in it without her.

She sighs, and begins, "Look, Booth, if you don't want me …."

He laughs, but there is no humour in it. "Bones, listen to me. I want you. You have no idea how much I want you. But – I know you believe that monogamy is unnatural, and that sex is all about biological urges, and … I need more than that with you. You're my best friend. You're the one I call when something bad happens, and when something good happens. You know things about me that no one else knows.

I love you. And I know that probably scares you, but … if we're going to do this, I need us to go into it believing that it's going to work out. If you have doubts, I'd rather walk away now and stay as we are – as we have been – than risk what we have. I don't know what I'd do without you in my life."

She looks at him, tears in her eyes, and says, "Booth, you're asking a lot. I don't know if I can do that. We don't want the same things. You want a traditional life – a wife, some kids – and I don't know if I can do that. We disagree on everything. How can we know it will work out?"

He sighs. "I know, Bones, we're very different people, and we would both have to compromise. It would be a lot of work. But I also know that there are many ways in which we're the same. We both are committed to solving crimes and bringing criminals to justice. We've both been hurt in the past – physically, mentally, emotionally. We've traveled to places many other people would never want to go. We're both loyal, and honest, and we care deeply about our friends and family.

"If we go into a relationship whole-heartedly, I think we can make it. But if we go in thinking there's an escape hatch, our differences will tear us apart.

"We both need to take some time to think. Stay in the guest room tonight, and we'll talk tomorrow. Is that OK?"

She wipes the tears off her cheek with the back of her hand and nods.

He stands, pulling her up and into a brief hug before heading off down the hall to dig out a t-shirt for her to sleep in.

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She awakes to the smell of coffee. It takes a few seconds, but she soon remembers where she is – and why she is there.

He looks up from the newspaper when she walks into the kitchen. He jumps up to pour coffee, spilling a few drops on the counter, and she realizes – he's nervous. Her answer is very important to him.

Somehow that makes her feel better. She's not the only one who is scared.

Later, she'd tell Angela that she thought through the pros and cons and made a rational decision, but the truth is that when he hands her the coffee, babbling a little about having gone out to pick up donuts and croissants, she knows – if her relationship with Booth fails, it won't be because either one of them didn't try hard enough.

Somehow, she remembers to set the coffee on the counter before she throws herself into his arms, knowing that he'll catch her – he always does.


End file.
